Saturday, March 25, 2017

Courtyard at La Maison

Something like this is a wonderful and necessary antidote to the world on the other side of the wall. I've succumbed to a bad cold turned bronchial infection that's draining me of energy here in Egypt. It's disastrous. You need a lot of energy to deal with the challenges of getting around and seeing what you wish to see without being overwhelmed by people who, understandably, can't fathom how a couple of women can manage here without any men to "help" or "guide" or "manage" them. It's great. My daughter and I are getting the best smiles and truly genuine greetings from the veiled women sitting on their stoops in the alley outside our guesthouse. Foreigners come up this alley frequently enough, but an English-speaking mom/daughter duo is noteworthy. The street urchins like us too, especially when we tricked them by kicking the soccer ball in the evening street game. I expect we'll be dealing with invitations to play for the rest of our stay. Be careful what you wish for.